


Back to Our Future

by AustinD



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 1977, Angst, Betrayal, Defence Against The Dark Arts Teacher, Detention, F/M, Fluff, Gay, Happy Ending, Hogwarts, M/M, Marauders era, Multi, Old Harry, Order of the Phoenix - Freeform, Teacher-Student Relationship, Time Travel, Unrequited Love, Young Snape, kinda underage, married man, pre war, seduced, snarry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-01-01 00:23:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12144450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AustinD/pseuds/AustinD
Summary: Harry is sent back in time to 1977, and it's Harry's job to make sure everything plans out exactly as they should... maybe with the odd exception of one Severus Snape.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

A moist towel was wiping Harry's forehead when he woke.

"Ahhh." Hissed Harry in pain. His eyes slowly opening to see a young brunette woman carefully dabbing his stinging brow. Everything seemed blurry. Harry wasn't wearing his glasses. He couldn't recognise where he was, or immediately remember how he had got here.

"Good. You're awake. Dumbledore will be down soon." The woman said. Harry couldn’t make out her features, but her voice did sound similar.

"Dumbledore?" Harry questioned feeling disorientated.

Could the nurse possible mean Aberforth Dumbledore? Harry hadn't seen the hogshead owner in years. Heard he’d long since retired. The stinging on his head began to throb interrupting his train of thought as the woman touched it with her cloth again. Harry looked around confused. He was lying injured in a bed, in what looked like a small Hospital ward. It must be somewhat late in the day for the sun was low in the sky and shone blindingly in Harrys eyes.

"Yes, Dumbledore? What did you expect, Professor Dibe-"

"Poppy dear, it seems Hogwarts has an unexpected guest." The doors to the hospital wing swung open as Albus Dumbledore the man himself walked in. "I'm right by saying, Rubeus found him lying naked and unconscious near the forbidden forest?"

"Yes. Headmaster." The nurse Poppy abandoned treating Harry's forehead, and stood beside the old man whispering quietly to him. Harry sat up slightly. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He could faintly hear a few mumbled sentences confirming Harry to be in fact human, not baring any weapons, nor the dark mark, and not currently effected by any potions in his system.

"Dumbledore..." Harry mumbled, his foggy mind raced. Dumbledore alive? How? There was no mistaking it. Dumbledore stood alive and well in front of Harry. The room began to spin. Why does his head hurt so much? He began to feel nauseous.

Harry thought he must have died again, seeing Dumbledore on the 9 3/4 platform wasn't enough apparently. Maybe each time he died he would be visited by those who meant so much to him in his life.

"Yes, dear boy." The old man replied. Standing beside Harry, curiously looking at him. "Have we met before?"

“Am I dead?” Harry asked.

“Not for the time being.” The old man chuckled.

"And you're not dead?" Harry questioned perplexed.

"Not yet, but a dear friend once told me. Death is just the next great adventure." Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling fondly. "Now, are you going to tell me how and why you broke into my school? Finding yourself injured and naked on Hogwarts grounds?"

"Hogwarts?" Harry shot up. Looking around, he found the old man to the telling the truth. Harry was lying in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. "Fuck. I'm dead. I’m dead aren't I? That experimental spell backfired, and now I'm dead. It's Kings Cross all over again."

"If you don't mind me asking, I'm a little confused as to what is going on here."

"I think we all are, Headmaster." Poppy Pomfrey called as she marched her way through the wing towards Harry. "What is your name?"

"Harry, Harry Potter."

"A Potter!" Madam Pomfrey retorted. "I thought James was the last one? Any long lost cousins of the Potters should have come to Hogwarts, surely."

"As did I. How extraordinary. How-" Dumbledore was cut off by Harry.

"-James Potter? Wait a minute, hang on. James Potter as in my eldest son. James Potter as in James Sirius Potter born April 13th 2004?"

The room was met with silence. Both Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore looked worried. After a few tense moments Harry spoke again as realisation dawned on him.

"What year is it?" He questioned slowly, letting the words tentatively creep off his tongue.

"It's the summer of 1977, dear boy." Dumbledore beamed sympathetically. Harry sat completely still as he processed the news. "Poppy fetch some pumpkin juice for Harry here, he seems a little shook."

Madam Pomfrey marched off. "I feel you are far from home Mr Potter." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling kindly.

"I'm from the future, I mean it is- no- was the present back then. But I didn't mean to be here, it was an accident... Why does my head hurt so much?" Harry tried to get out of bed.

"You're bleeding, it seems your travels here haven't left you unmarked. Lie back down, Poppy will have my head if she catches you like this." Harry raised his hand to his scalp, feeling the hard shell of a scab forming across his temple. "I must warn you Harry, if what you are telling me is true, and you are from the future. You must not under any circumstance interfere with time. Or I am afraid, the future, your present as you know it will never be the same."

Harry sat there for a moment thinking. "But Professor what if I stopped him, I could save everyo-"

"Silence!" Belted Dumbledore, the room seemed to shake with unbridled power. "You must not reveal any details of your future, to anyone. No one can know, you are not of our time line. You are a potential target Harry, dark forces are moving-"

"Voldemort."

"He grows more powerful every day. He would be unstoppable if he got to you or your knowledge of what is to come." Dumbledore became very sombre in that moment. Harry nodded, understanding that he couldn't tell a soul. But that doesn't mean he can't help, and push other people in the right direction.

Fawkes the Phoenix's swooped in through the open window and came to land on Harry's shoulder. "Hey Fawkes, are you here to cry for me?"

The great red bird gave an almighty squawk leaping from Harrys shoulder to Dumbledore’s. "Fawkes is a Phoenix Harry. He seems rather fond of you."

 "Fawkes has-no wait, will save my life one day. Doesn't quite feel like crying for me today however." Harry said fondly remembering his second year, down in the Chamber of Secrets rescuing Ginny from a 16 year old Tom Riddle. 

Ginny. His wife. His wife who hasn’t been born yet.

"Funny how a Phoenix can remember an event that is yet to happen, but has happened in one of their many lives... Something the matter?" Dumbledore probed, noticing the change in Harry's demeanour.

"Nothing. I just realised everything I have is gone. My children... I haven't even been born yet. My job, my life doesn't exist. How can I return home to my own time? I have links with the Minister, but she can't help, she hasn't been born either." 

"I will send an owl to the Ministry, alerting them to your situation. Let's see if they can offer the use of one of those time turners, they recently confiscated. I'm sure we can persuade an unspeakable to lend one. Professor Slughorn still keeps in contact with a few of his old students high up in the ministry." Dumbledore said rather to himself than to the man in the hospital bed. "What is it you do, or did, did you say?"

"I'm an Auror." Harry replied.

"That's fortunate. I find myself in need of a new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher. You could say, stay at Hogwarts, safe and protected, and teach whilst your quest to return home continues." Dumbledore smiled.

"Hogwarts always has been home." Harry mumbled, contemplating teaching. He did teach the DA in 5th year, after Umbridge refused to. Lupin was the best teacher he ever had, maybe he could teach like Lupin did. The idea of being a Hogwarts teacher was always a dream of his. "Okay, sure. Why not? I'm stuck here anyway. Who knows how long it will take to get back to my time."

"Wondrous, I do recommend you change your name however. As to not arouse suspicion of your true identity, that is." Dumbledore suggested. "We can't have you changing the future, because James or anyone else you know from your time realises who you truly are."

"You're right. Um, I'll change my name to Professor Smith, no no that's awful... umm... Professor Thomas. Harry Thomas. Has nice ring to it." Harry agreed, he stole the surname from his muggle born friend Dean. In the hope selecting a muggle surname would distance himself from other wizard families.

"Alright Professor Thomas, Madam Pomfrey will be back soon with Pumpkin Juice I’m sure. Within a few hours she will send a house elf down with you to show you to your sleeping arrangements. The students shall be arriving tomorrow evening I believe."

Just on cue, the nurse came through the door carrying a pitcher of juice. Fawkes who had fallen asleep on Dumbledore’s shoulder, awoke with a screech. Feathers alive with fire fell and burnt onto the floor.

"I'm sorry Headmaster, but I must ask you to leave. My patient needs time to heal."

"Good news Poppy, Harry Thomas here, has accepted the role of our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Dumbledore stressed Thomas knowingly.

"Then Professor Thomas needs to be bandaged up before the students arrive ready for the welcoming feast." Poppy said shooing the old man towards the exit and out of the door. "Ahh good. You've stopped bleeding. I don't know what could have done this, even wounds inflicted by dark magic don't behave this way. None of my healing spells nor any of Horace's potions could heal it... My strongest dittany did nothing... It'll have to be healed naturally, the muggle way. It'll leave an awful scar."

"I'm used to having a few ugly scars." Harry lay back into the hospital bed. The nurse’s eyes flashed down towards his forearms, piercing her lips disapprovingly. Harry shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "Do you know where my glasses are?"

"Glasses? You weren't wearing any when Hagrid found you. I can fix your eye sight, if you like. I've never done it before, but it seems relatively straight forward from what I've read. It's a very painful spell, though mind you."

"I think I’ll stick with glasses." Harry said nervously.

"I'll send for an owl to Spectacles & Glassware, I took your measurements whilst you were still unconscious. Only be a minute." Poppy popped into the opposite room. Only to re-emerge a second later.

"Rubeus found you stark naked, I assume you'll be needing a wand too. The castle's house elves will take your measurements to Diagon Ally and accommodate everything else you have are missing. I'm sure they can take it out of your wages."

 

\--

 

Harry found himself excitedly walking through an all too familiar Hogwarts, being led by a House elf called Totty. Totty reminded Harry of Dobby the free House elf. It has been many years since Harry allowed himself the liberty of remembering his old sock loving friend.

She meandered him through many hidden passages around the school ending up in his old Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom's office. With a click of her little wrinkled fingers a hidden door appeared from behind the wall. She bowed low, her large nose touching the floor, as Harry stepped forward. Entering showed a large sitting room. Not as cosy as the Gryffindor common room, but both shared a familiar sense of home, the safe smell of Hogwarts. Totty bowed low once more and bid Professor Thomas a good night, wishing him a happy feast before apparating with a tremendous crack.

Harry explored his new home for the upcoming school year. A bed chamber to the left with an en suite. A deep mauve coloured, large, four poster bed was located in the centre of the bedroom. To his surprise it was delightfully soft when Harry lay on it. The chambers walls were decorated with bizarre ornaments and findings, diagrams of creatures extinct to the world adorned the walls. In the living room on a shelf high above stood the pickled head of a mermaid floating in green iridescent liquid, which greatly disturbed Harry, as the mermaids eyes were open and looked as though it were watching him. The colourful house tapestries stood proudly hanging on the fireplace. Opposite were a collection of soft looking green arm chairs and a matching black overstuffed love seat. Harry inspected the large bookshelf, hundreds and hundreds of books on magical creatures and dangerous spells stood before him. All different sizes and shapes, varying in age and deterioration. A black leather book was placed alone on a pedestal on the desk, Harry skimmed through turning the pages. Pages and pages of names were signed in the book with a start and a finish date next to the signature. This is a sort of guest book for previous Defence teachers Harry realised. The latest entry was "Aether Caelum Hilbert" 3/8/1976 - 29/8/1977. Harry found a black quill and bottle of ink in one of the draws. He wrote "Harry James P-" but stopped himself, his quill ghosting over the books ancient parchment. He was no longer Harry Potter, but Harry Thomas. He begrudgingly turned the P into a T, and wrote Thomas, but stopped there, as he didn't know the exact date. Only that it was towards the end of summer 1977.

He skipped to the start of the book. The first name was written in emerald green ink, the lettering beautifully sliding across the page like a snake creating the words: Salazar Slytherin.

Harry had always assumed the founder of Slytherin would have taught potions, being as both of the schools previous Potions Masters had been head of Slytherin.

In the toilet Harry admired his reflection in the mirror. His new rectangle glasses made his face look different somehow. More square, his jaw appeared wider, his nose thinner. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't allow him to leave the hospital wing until his new glasses arrived by school owl.

“I can’t have you falling off a moving staircase, Professor.”

He knew the healer wouldn't be happy if he removed the newly wrapped bandages around his forehead and scalp. So he kept them in place, having to wait to see the damage the spell has done to him. Ironically Harry looked like Professor Quirrell with the bandages engulfing his head in a turban.

Quirrell, Lockhart, Lupin, Crouch, Umbridge, and Snape. All will stay in this room in the future. Harry gagged imagining Umbridge removing the decorations of animal skulls and sketches, and replacing them with pink kitten plates and ribbon. Lockhart with adorning pictures of himself. Harry quite liked the eclectic mass of decorations, deciding he wasn’t going to change anything.

Remus, Barty, and Severus as students should all be arriving at school off the train soon.

A dark red chair in the bedroom was decked with parcels bought from Diagon Ally. Harry opened the smallest, a thin rectangular box holding inside Harry's new wand. Silver Birch, 13 and a half inches, Phoenix feather. The wand had a heavy, rather flexible feel to it. It didn't react to Harry's magic the same way his old Holly wand did, nor the Elder wand, but Harry enjoyed the feel of the wand between his fingers. Harry wondered why he wasn’t given his original Holly wand he received from Ollivander in his first year.

Harry quickly opened the rest of the brown parcels, revealing several rolls of parchment, a dozen quills, with several colours of ink, a copper cauldron, and basic potion making ingredients. Harry ran his hands down the new pair of ordinary black wizard robes, grey underwear, black socks, and black shoes. Nothing spectacular, but they would do, until Harry had a chance to buy his own preferences. He banished the parcel wrappings with a flick of his new wand.

He grabbed the list of students he would teach this year, and scanned his new students. He began planning for the years classes. Several names he hadn't heard of jumped out of him, many more were names he had seen in the war memorial instalment in the Ministry of magic. Thousands died at the hands of Voldemort and his followers, and Harry was determined to make a difference.

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry sat at the high table next to Horace Slughorn, a man who was equally as unattractive and as fat as a younger man. Peering down the long table Harry only recognised a handful of other teachers, Professor Binds, and Professor Sprout to name a few, both looking identical from the last time he'd seen them in Hogwarts when he'd left school at 17. His old friend Hagrid sat at the end of the table, he almost waved to the half giant, but then remembered this Hagrid hasn't met him yet. A wave of uncomfortable rigidity settled in his stomach. Glancing down the table, a few of his fellow teachers were almost comical looking. One elderly wizard was wearing a bright frilly magenta eye patch. Another had his right hand wrapped in a bandage with only his middle index finger poking out, which he was using to gesture obscenely with to Madam Pomfrey and another young teacher Harry didn't immediately recognise. She looked around horrified, and caught his eye. They exchanged a look, and laughed together.

Harry struck up a conversation with the wizard to the right of him, introducing himself as Harry Thomas, but his attention was elsewhere. Students were slowing beginning to pile into the Great Hall taking seats along their house tables. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The room seemed to buzz with excitement and magic.

A gaggle of elder Gryffindors caught his eye, as four elder boys pushed each other through the crowd. The Marauders, Harry's teenage father James and his three best friends. They were quickly separated by a fiery haired prefect, Harry's mother Lilly, she scolded the group for scaring Slytherin second years. His heart beat excitedly in his chest. Harry had calculated earlier in the evening up in his office that this parents were in their final year of Hogwarts, and would be sitting their NEWT's at the end of the year. He had decided that this accident, being brought back in time to 1977, this was his chance to finally get to know his parents, and he would make the most of it.

Soon all students had taken their seats and were discussing their summer activities, all waiting expectantly for the sorting to begin.

Dumbledore slipped in with the later students and had quietly taken his seat at the centre of the top table. The headmaster raised his hands and clapped, opening the doors, the room was plunged in silence as all eyes fell on the new comers. An old plump woman, who Harry didn't recognise, dressed entirely in red velvet robes carrying an old hat and a stool strolled through the large doors at the opposite end of the hall, followed by a company of scared looking first years.

Once placed upon the stool the sorting hat sprang to life, and delivered a song about new beginnings, forgiveness, and opportunity. Harry eyes automatically scanned the Gryffindor table, and landed on the smallest of the 4 boys he had been observing earlier. Peter Pettigrew. After the hat finished its song the room roared with tremendous applause. The sorting begun, first years names were called, and then the students placed into their houses.

Harry identified the witch as Professor McGonagall as soon as she read the first name off the list "Catriona Burk", by her distinctive Scottish accent. Professor McGonagall in his time was Headmistress of Hogwarts, and by special request sent Harry owls with updates on his children’s doings at school. Owls which he would not receive anymore.

Harry had only attended a few sorting’s as a student, so viewing them as a teacher on the top table was an entirely different and bizarre experience. He wanted to cheer for the new group of Gryffindors, as Wilhelmina Plank rushed from the stool at the front towards the Gryffindor table, but then he solemnly remembered Harry Thomas was never a Gryffindor. Gryffindor was just another house at the school where he was now employed to educate. He wasn't as attached to the houses as he used to be, there was no inter-house rivalry, no competition to be the best house and maintain Gryffindor's glory. He learnt in his final years of Hogwarts that the house systems were pointless, just a way to control and restrict the students’ behaviour. When you're up against You Know Who fighting for your life, losing a few house points is nothing compared to losing a parent, a friend, or a brother.

The only real difference between the students before him was the colour of their uniforms. The Sorting hat can talk all it wants about Gryffindor bravery, Slytherin cunningness, Ravenclaw wisdom, and Hufflepuff loyalty, but truly it is only our choices that set us apart. Dumbledore was right about that. Peter Pettigrew sat amongst the Gryffindors, no one from Harry's time would ever consider the pathetic rat to be anything but a coward.  

The great hall didn't seem as big or as wonderful from this direction, looking either side of him, the teachers weren't anything special, or scary, they were just wizards and witches asked to teach by Dumbledore, like himself. An understanding swept over Harry about why he felt so distant, a lot had changed over the last 20 years, he had undoubtedly outgrown Hogwarts.

The sorting ended with the Carrow twins, Amycus and Alecto, both being sorted into Slytherin, and Dumbledore began his usual welcoming speech.

"...under no circumstance should you need go into the forbidden forest. Now for a more appeasing note, I welcome Professor Harry Thomas. Professor Thomas shall be taking over Madam Hilbert's position as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. May you all welcome him with open arms and kind smiles. You’ll all be glad to know Madam Hilbert is recovering well in Saint Mongos, and I do believe she plans to spend her retirement in a cottage in the Lake District, where she will continue her hobby of breeding kneazles, that is once her liver has fully healed. I am happy to announce..."

Harry stood, then promptly sat down as unheard whispering spread across the room.

"What happened to his head?"

"Why does he looked like he was just attacked?"

"Last a year? He's not going to last a month with that injury."

"You can see blood through those bandages."

Another new teacher Harry had laughed with earlier, soon stood after Harry did, and the whispering subsided. She gave a slight nod, and the new Arithmancy teacher, a younger Professor Vector, gave Harry a small smile and sat down.

"...I suspect your bellies are unpleasantly empty, so let us amend that shall we," Dumbledore finished his speech and the plates were soon filled with food, piles and piles of golden roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, glorious vegetables, and various roasted meats appeared on the silver platters. Everyone promptly dug in to the extravagant feast.

"So Harry, what do you think of Hogwarts so far? Must be more impressive than that Ilvermorny, eh?" The man he briefly spoke to earlier said.

"What? Oh right, yes. Hogwarts is... very different." Harry lied, remembering he now never went to Hogwarts.

"Filius Flitwick. I teach charms." Professor Flitwick had a blonde moustache not unlike Vernon Dursley’s. A balding blonde head, and piercing brown eyes, and dark green robes. Harry didn't recognise him sitting down. But he did remembered Professor Flitwick had the unusual knack of changing his appearance every few years. Harry remembered the commotion caused in his 3rd year when the small wizard ditched his long white hair and beard, in favour for a short black bowl cut bob, and matching back moustache. Everyone in the Gryffindor common room joked it was because of the year before he was out shined by Lockhart’s good looks. "I've never been to Ilvermorny, a friend of mine did. Do you know Harold Tamp?"

"Erh, no." Harry said awkwardly biting into a piece of chicken.

"What a shame, I'd have love to know what he's been up to since our time in Croatia. Great place..." Filius began to ramble. Harry found himself scanning the room for people he knew. A plump bright eyed Alice Longbottom, or whatever her name was before getting married, was sat opposite the new Ravenclaw member Catriona Burk.

The four Marauder boys were sat a few seats down from Lilly and Frank Longbottom on the Gryffindor table, all with their heads lowered suspiciously reading whatever book Remus Lupin was holding. James Potter, Harry's father was leaning to face him. He did look remarkably like himself, only a younger version. Though James Potter looked more like Albus-Severus than he did Harry. Al even had James' eyes.

"Wow, really." Harry occasionally replied in response to Filius' story.

Upon scanning the Slytherin table Harry spotted a cluster of less desirable people. Regulus Black, Barty Crouch Jr, Robin Avery, and Augustus Rookwood were among the known death eaters Harry could spot. Snape however to Harry's surprise was not with them. He sat at the end of the table in solitude, occasionally looking up from his empty plate to stare at Lilly, then quickly stealing an angry glance towards James and Sirius.

Looking around Harry saw a young Gilderoy Lockhart surrounded by a small group of giggling girls on the Ravenclaw table.

A few other faces he recognised from the Ministry were scattered around the room. His fellow auror colleague was sat in Hufflepuff having been recently sorted, she must be no older than 12. It shows how small wizarding England really is.

There were a lot of students he didn't recognise, maybe they died in the war. Hermione once told him more than a quarter of the wizarding population had died at the hands of Voldemort during his first reign of terror. Even more died in the second.

 

\--

 

Harry's first lesson was a disaster. First day back at school and the Hufflepuff and Slytherin 3rd years were crazy, hyperactive from their summer and refusing to allow him to teach. And to top it off, Harry had no clue how to teach them. He'd spent the last decade catching death eaters, stopping uprisings, defeating dark wizards, and doing an unfortunate amount of paperwork, not creating lesson plans and setting homework. He hadn't taught anyone since he was 15, and those lessons were always improvised!

He tried to recall what Lupin taught him, however due to his favourite Professors frequent turnings into a werewolf, Harry failed to remember many lesson plans he could use, one however stood out after 24 years. Finally the horrific lesson was over, and the classroom vacated of children. Harry found himself to have a free period thankfully. He wandered around the school in search of Peeves the Poltergeist, to assist him in locating a Bogart within the school for his next lesson with the third years tomorrow. Harry clearly remembered his Bogart lessons, even if they had been cut short.

He found Peeves tormenting some first years on the fourth floor. Harry told the lost students directions to their transfiguration classroom, and asked. "Peeves, are there any Bogarts hiding in the  school?"

"Peeves loves to put Bogertys in teacher’s officeys! I left one in yours as a welcoming present Harry Thomasy! Hahaha!!! Strange how you knew where he little firsties classroom is. You've only been here a daisie. Hahahaha." Peeves shot up out of the corridor and in the direction of the transfiguration classroom, chasing and calling after the new students.

Harry had always been perplexed as to why Dumbledore allowed Peeves to stay at Hogwarts.

He returned to his classroom, and began to clean up after the third years. Parchment and quills littered the floor, with the occasional sweet wrapper. Harry went into his office. It was a small bare circular room. A wooden desk and chair was located towards the back, a shabby bookshelf was next to the wall to his right, with a wooden old trunk opposite the bookshelf. The barren walls lacked decoration and personality, quite the opposite to the inside of his living chambers.

Harry opened up the trunk with "Alohomora" and a sickly black dementor rose from inside to greet him. The Bogart failed to have the same effect as a real dementor, the air wasn't cold, and Harry didn't feel like all happiness was gone from the world. A simple 'Riddikulus' and the Bogart Dementor was sucked into a pink vacuum cleaner inside the trunk, and he shut and locked the lid.

Inspired, Harry knew what his next lesson's topic was going to be on. He levitated the trunk into the classroom and waited.

Harry had dreaded this moment since he agreed to teach at Hogwarts. He dreaded meeting all those people who were dead, who had meant so much to him growing up. He had NEWT Defence Against the Dark Arts with 7th years starting in a few minutes. A glance at the register a class which consisted of: Lilly Evans, Marlene McKinnon, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Frank Longbottom, Otto Bagman, Candice Steward, Isabella Zabini, Karmith Bulstrode, Severus Snape, Robin Avery, and Initius Mulciber, nearly all dead or worse in Harry's time. Only Isabella Zabini Harry knew of was alive, and on her 11th husband. Tragically cursed by her first lover, Blaise's father, causing any other man who falls in love with her to die.

Harry welcomed the arriving students inside. They took their seats happily chatting to their partners and friends. Severus Snape sat alone at the back. The classroom was well lit with the blinds open, yet Harry was amazed at how Snape had a knack of hiding within the shadows, even as a teenager.

Harry stood silent at the front. Silently casting a nonverbal opening spell towards the trunk behind him. The room blissfully buzzed away not paying attention to their professor, until a Gryffindor girl sat next to Lilly, who Harry didn't recognise screamed at the dementor hovering over the trunk behind Harry.

The teenagers scattered away from their desks to get away from the terrifying monster.

Harry turned around feigning being scared, he raised his wand and thought of a happy memory, shouting the words "Expecto Patronum".

The class utter a gasp, many said wow, as a beautiful gigantic silver stag erupted out of Harry's wand. The stag charged towards the Bogart and Harry closed the trunk.

"Who can tell me what that was?" Harry asked, trying to sound as teacher like as he could.

"It's a dementor, professor." Lilly Evans said raising her hand as she spoke.

"Actually, that was just a bogart. I'm right to assume Madam Hilbert taught you that. A dementor is much, much worse Miss Evans."

A few students had begun to return to their seats, Severus was one of the first.

"In my lesson, there shall be no writing or note taking. You can't fight the Dark Arts by reading a book, so my lessons will be 100% practical. Note taking shall be done in your time, not mine." The students began to chat amongst themselves again excitedly. Harry nonverbally pushed the desks and chairs to the side of the classroom with a flick of his wand.

"Wands out. Two lines, either side of the classroom," Harry strolled to the front of the class and wrote on the board "Expecto Patronum".

Harry's corporeal patronus was slowly strutting through the walkway the students had made. "My patronus is a Stag, does anyone know what determines the form of someone’s patronus? Yes?"

"Their personality, Sir? Although they can change throughout a person’s life." Lilly Evans said.

"Good Lilly, 10 points to Gryffindor."

"Does that mean Snivellus here would be a slug, he's that useless and slimy? It has to be his Patronus." Sirius Black muttered to the other marauders, who all burst out laughing.

"He probably doesn't have one, you need to think of a happy memory, doesn't have any of those the miserable git. And personally, I would say it's more grease than slime." James replied coyly.

"Yeah, you have to be a wizard to be able to cast magic." Remus chipped in.

Lilly who stood next to Sirius was listening to their mumbles and joined in on their laughing, in fact Harry was sure the whole class was listening. As discreet as the boys were trying to be Harry still heard them, and by the looks of it so did Severus. Severus has his head down, he was frantically and what must be painfully bending his fingers back and in odd positions.

"Oii!" Harry snapped. "5 points from Gryffindor! No talking in my lesson." The boys stopped and Harry continued with his lesson on Patronus'.

 

\--

 

"I don't expect you to write in class, but I do expect you to do some independent study after each lesson. I want you to write an essay on everything you can find about Dementors. I want their origin, their life cycle, their occupation, and the 17th century agreement with the Ministry. I want their effect on humans, on animals, on plants, and the environment."

A residual grumble followed as students began to filter into the corridor. None of the students managed to cast a real patronus, however Lilly Evans produced a wispy silhouette of a doe, before it faded. Slughorn was right, she was brilliant, by far the brightest Witch or Wizard in the class. It took Harry several private lessons over the course of 3 months with Professor Lupin to cast even a wisp of a patronus. Many students successfully produced bright light from their wands, however Severus couldn't. He thought he didn’t even try.

"Severus, could I have a word?" Harry called. Severus had spent the lesson determinately looking at the floor, and half-heartedly attempting to cast a patronus. Just waving his wand and mumbling the incantation.

"Snivellus is in trouble!" James called out. Followed by a gaggle of laughter. Sirius shoved Snape to the side as the group exited. The marauders had continued to jeer at Snape throughout the lesson. Harry silenced them with taking of house points every time. If they kept it up Gryffindor wouldn't have a chance at winning the house cup.

The tall thin lanky young man, hoisted his bag over his shoulder and begrudgingly walked towards the desk at the front.

"The Gryffindors? Potter, Black, and Lupin. Are they always like that?" Harry asked. He knew his father and Sirius weren't particularly nice to Snape in their youths, but Harry had no idea it was to that extent, and always assumed it was mutual or at least deserved. He'd seen James bully Severus in the pensive, however Harry just thought that was an exaggeration of the events from Snape’s perspective to make it seem worse than it was.

"No Professor." Severus said keeping his head down, his black eyes staring at his feet.

"You're lying. Why haven't you told anyone? Your head of house? Professor Slughorn can help, he's head of Slytherin."

"He won't do anything. No one will. Just forget about it. Please Professor Thomas, leave it. They're Gryffindors, it's what they do." Severus looked up, Harry could see he had tears in his eyes.

"I refuse to allow this behaviour to happen in my classroom." Harry said firmly. "Don't worry Severus, it won't happen again."

Young Snape rolled his eyes and left the classroom wiping tears from his cheeks. That was not the Severus Snape that Harry knew.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the positive support!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harry often found himself exploring Hogwarts when he wasn't teaching. Electronics failed to work at Hogwarts, and probably weren't even invented in this time era, so Harry was at loss at how to entertain himself. He was never a big reader; that was more Hermione's area, wizard chess Harry was awful at. The only thing Harry wanted to do was fly on his broomstick, to feel the cold autumn air brushing his face as he zig zagged and dived aimlessly around the grounds, and maybe play a game of quidditch. Only he didn't have a broom, and personal experience taught him not to trust the school ones. Harry wasn't even sure if he could play quidditch, he wasn't the games keeper, flying instructor, nor a student. He couldn’t imagine Madam Hooch would be too pleased if he stole one of the school’s brooms from a first year’s flying lesson.

So Harry explored Hogwarts. At 13 he thought he'd mesmerised the entire school from the Marauders map, but he was surprised to how many secret passages he'd discovered within the few days he had been back at Hogwarts. Harry remembered Hermione once telling him Hogwarts was always changing as a magical building. The castle was alive, constantly shrinking, moving and growing. Adaptive Architecture or something, during his youth Harry always zoned out whenever Hermione referenced Hogwarts: A History. He didn't really realise this, until he found himself lost down a corridor, which he thought would lead him to the clock tower.

One room he stumbled across was adorned with sapphires, lapis', and aquamarines. Fancy bright blue drapes hung from the walls. He found it by accident on the 4th floor, he was softy humming to himself whilst running his hand along a Ravenclaw crest on a tapestry, on the way to the staff room, when his hand disappeared through it.

A statute of a giant Eagle was located in the middle of the circular room. Its wings shone with a silvery blue glow, and upon closer inspection Harry realised each individual feather was either a diamond or a sapphire. This must be Rowena Ravenclaw’s secret treasure room surely, Harry thought. Each founder was rumoured to have their own hidden chambers throughout the castle. Harry was unfortunate enough to have discovered Slytherin’s in his second year at Hogwarts. This room was smaller than that Chamber, but was a lot more decretive and dazzling.

There was an eerie glow to the room, it was alit entirely by moonlight, yet without a window or moon in sight as its source. Dust floated and glistened in the air almost like small diamonds immortalised by... by what? Harry didn't know. As beautiful as it was the room unnerved him. He felt a shiver travel down his spine, and Goosebumps spread across his body. He didn't dare touch any of the items around the room. He didn't dare disrupt the magic placed upon the room.

Harry thought back to his time in Ravenclaw common room, Luna had told him Rowena was only known for her Diadem. Harry wanted to laugh, there must have been more than a dozen precious Ravenclaw heirlooms here. Voldemort could have used any one of these treasures to make his horcrux.

A thought struck him. What if no one had found this room in hundreds of years? Since Rowena herself closed the chamber.  He decided to leave the room as it was, undisturbed waiting for a future student to stumble upon its secrets.

Harry crawled back out of the tapestry, and strangely found himself on the ground floor in a small corridor near the Great Hall. A group of Slytherins were leaning on the wall talking, and were looking shocked having just witnessed their new DATDA professor clamber out of tapestry.

"How did you do that?" The smallest of the bunch said in amazement. It was Karmith Bulstrode. Millicent Bulstrode’s aunt maybe? Harry had very little knowledge of old wizarding families, especially those members who didn't survive the first war. She was the quiet Slytherin girl in Harry's 7th year class.

"I don't know... Hogwarts is very new to me," Harry said. He put his hand back to the fabric he just came through, but that was all it was now, just a tapestry.

"You've got to be careful Sir, watch out for the fake step, the staircases have a mind of their own, and oh, and Peeves, just, just avoid him," a tall boy with brown hair nervously said, as he anxiously licked his lips. Harry recognised him as a young Barty Crouch Jr. He looked no older than he did when Harry first saw him in Dumbledore’s pensive all those years ago. Barty Crouch Jr was in his 5th year class but Harry hadn't had the chance to meet him yet as he didn't have a lesson with them until tomorrow.

"Thanks for the advice, Barty." Harry said trying to fake a smile. He was standing with the man who helped bring Voldemort back. No doubt the other Slytherins companying him were also Death Eaters.

"Don't call me Barty," said the young man coldly. "I'm not my father. My name is Barry. I don't want his shitty name!"

"Sorry Barry, I never did like your father," Harry said trying quickly to ease the tension. The Slytherins laughed.

"Who does?" Another Slytherin boy chortled. Harry recognised him from his 6th year class. Regulus Black. He looked identical to the portrait tapestry hung on the wall in Grimmauld Place. "Where's Snape?" He asked his friends.

"I think he's crying in that abandoned toilet again. Something about the Gryffindor twats and his dad," said another Slytherin boy, who Harry recognised as Initius Mulciber, also in his 7th year class.

“I should go and see how he is.”

“You know how Snape gets when he’s upset, best to leave him alone.” Karmith said, resting her hand on Regulus’ arm, stopping him.

"They're disgusting. They see a hint of weakness in someone and just pounce, they don't care how much their actions hurt people," said Regulus Black passionately. Harry had to stifle a laugh. He was hearing a morality rant from a group of death eaters. Oh the irony. "They're just like muggles. Gryffindors, mudbloods, muggles, all as bad as the next. We're treated like criminals for existing, just because we're a bit different from them! Magic is beautiful we shouldn't be made to feel ashamed that we have it. They're scared of us, that's it, and it's our job to make them feel safe. So we're forced to hide, and live in secret. Fucking pisses me off! We deserve better!"

There was a murmur of agreement around the group of students.

"Language."

"Sorry professor." Regulus looked down ashamed.

"Things will change one day. Lucius Malfoy's wedding in December. He, is going to be there," Mulciber said with a cunning grin.

“You mean-” Barry said in awe.

“Yep.”

“Does that mean we can meet him?”

“Only with an invit-“

Harry had to leave. This was way too much for him to comprehend. He had never spoken to a death eater before about why they started following Voldemort, what scared Harry is that he knew that everything Barry Crouch Jr. said was completely true. The Dursley's hated magic because they were scared, his traumatic childhood was a testimony of how cruel muggles can be. And now they were talking about meeting Voldemort, like he was a celebrity, almost like a god.

He wished all the students a hasty farewell and headed towards the nearest toilet down the corridor to clear his head. He recognised it instantly as Moaning Myrtle’s toilet. Perfect isolation was exactly what Harry needed to clear his head. He expected to hear the wailing of a 14 year old ghost, instead he found a crying Snape in one of the cubicles.

"Severus, is that you?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Piss off!"

Harry opened the door slowly. Severus was sat on the floor, tears running down his face, he refused to look up. Harry sank down opposite him in the cubical, so they were on the same level, adjacent to one another. This had been the 3rd time Harry had seen the young man crying, and the first week of term hadn't even finished yet.

"Severus?" Harry asked calmly. Harry had experienced many of his children's temper tantrums, so felt comfortable helping Snape.

"What?" Snape snapped angrily.

"What happened?" Harry’s calm voice rang through the abandoned toilets.

"Double potions with Potter."

"What did him and his friends do?"

"It was only him, the others are too thick to even be in that class!"

"What did James do?" He kept his voice levelled and controlled.

Harry was met with silence for a good 30 seconds before Severus stopped crying and answered him, wiping the last tears off his chin.

"Said my dad should have beaten me more, then maybe I would have died, and not ruined everyone else's lives by existing," Severus said this in such a Professor Snape way, as if he was mocking Neville in potions class for bowling up a cauldron. Harry could practically feel Severus' internalised hatred towards himself, it radiated through the air. James Potter was not the man Harry had once believed him to be.

"Don't listen to him, he's only trying to impress stupid people who think he's clever for being a bully." Harry said trying to offer support.

"I cannot ignore him, he and his little friends follow me around school. Trying to make my life hell!" Snape snapped angrily, getting to his feet.

"Be the bigger person, Sever-"

"-oh yes. What a brilliant idea. What happened to 'Don’t worry Severus, it won't happen again'? You are full of fucking shit. Just fuck off!" Severus fired sharply. A sudden realisation hit him, and he froze.

"Excuse me?" Harry slowly rose to his feet and towered over the young man.

"... I-"

"-Detention. Every night this month. And 10 points from Slytherin." Harry was angry too now. Though his voice didn't raise louder than a whisper. He left Severus alone in the toilet.   
  
“Ohhhh, someone is in trouble,” Cackled Myrtle, as he exited.

Why did Snape's bullying affect him so much? He'd seen students being picked on whilst he was at Hogwarts, why now as a teacher does this one student affect him? Harry knew why, it was because everything Snape had said about his Father in the past was true. He couldn’t live in repressed denial anymore.

And it was Snape. Severus Snape, The half-blood prince, killed by Nagini, spy for Dumbledore, helped destroy Voldemort, died in his arms, the man he named his youngest son after, that Severus Snape. Harry owed him a lot, owed him his life. Give the teenager 20+ years and Snape would be the greatest hero in the wizarding world. The man Harry fought singlehandedly, tooth and claw defending his innocence. The bravest man he ever knew. In Harry's eyes that is.

He had absentmindedly wondered his way to Dumbledore’s office, he faced the Griffin, but he didn't know the password. Harry only then realised he urgently needed to see Dumbledore. He began to randomly guess sweets. ''Liquorice'' fortunately sprang the stone creature to life.

Harry knocked on Dumbledore’s office, and slowly entered. The headmaster stood ridged leaning forward with his face in the stone pensive. Harry sat awkwardly in one of the chairs opposite his desk, waiting for the Headmaster to emerge from his memories. After almost 5 minutes Dumbledore resurfaced.

"What a surprise to see you my boy. How have your first days of teaching been?" Dumbledore said happily, he crossed the room to join Harry at his desk.

"Yeah, I feel I'm getting better at it. But that's not why I'm here."

"What is it Harry?"

"A group of Slytherins, I recognise them from my time. They call themselves Death Eaters, followers of Lord Voldemort."

"Harry I must ask you not to reveal anything to myself or others about your future. You must allow events to occur exactly as they should do, by the natural order of things." Dumbledore commands.

"But if I could help these students to choose a different path, countless lives would be saved." Harry said. "My pare-"

"No. Harry, the effects of changes like that would be astronomical, the very fabric of time and space would cease to exist. Especially with a time jump as long as yours. If you want to return to your time with everything intact as it was before you left, you can't meddle with time. It might even be your job to make necessary events happen. Time isn't fond of anomalies Harry."

"But Professor, what does that mean?"

"Dear boy, how would I know? I'm just a tired old man. You need to find out for yourself. Time doesn't just happen Harry. The entire universe was create up to this moment in time for you to be here. All routes have an end, all journeys have a purpose."

"I'm still not-"

"Harry. I’ve managed to contact those at the ministry. They are currently reviewing your case, delivering you home might take longer than we had initially presumed. However, I think we've had enough talk of time travel for today, don't you.” Dumbledore grabbed a handful of sweets and proceeded further into his study. Leaving Harry confused and alone in the headmaster’s office.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for AGES, I'm just busy with Uni.   
> And I keep rewriting/editing my chapters instead of writing new ones.

Chapter 4

 

The first night of detention with Severus was painful. Neither wanted to be there.

"Get out your books, and do some homework," Harry instructed the young potions master, as he sat at his usual seat on the back row.

"I have done all of my homework," Snape said bored.

"Okay. Then you have a choice. You can either sit there quietly, tell me about Potter and Black, or you can do lines."

"..." Snape glared at Harry, refusing to answer.

Teachers in the detentions he had been in as a student, sat and marked homework, but it was too early in the term for Harry to have collected any in. So he sat at his desk and stared at Severus.

Snape quickly looked away, defeated in their unofficial staring contest. He then became very interested in his pencil case, Harry felt he was finding any excuse to not look at the professor. Every so often Severus would steal a glance towards the teacher’s desk, then immediately look away back to something else.

As annoyed by Severus' actions as he was, what Harry really wanted was the Slytherin to feel comfortable enough with him to open up and talk. Harry had some authority as a teacher he could stop his father and his friends from bullying Severus, and maybe arrange something with Dumbledore about Snape's abusive father. But he needed to know what was happening first, before he could help.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Harry asked after half an hour of awkward silence and quick hidden glances.

"No milk, 2 sugars," Snape said, his voice distrusting. Harry felt the other man’s eyes on him as he left to his office to prepare the drinks. Snape was still watching him intently, as if to catch Harry out somehow, when Harry returned with a tray in hand. He settled the tray on his desk and waited for Severus to come and collect his drink.

Snape remained at his seat and just stared passively at him. Harry rolled his eyes and non-verbally sent the tea to the other side of the room where it landed graciously in front of Severus.

"You can perform non-verbal wandless magic?" Severus said amazed. "You must be an exceptionally powerful wizard, Professor Thomas."

Harry smiled, he had finally got Severus to talk. He took a sip of his own tea. "With enough practice anyone can master the art."

"Indeed," Severus carefully examined the drink, smelling it deeply, as if to detect any potions, then drank too, keeping his eyes warily on Harry.

"I always find there's something refreshingly British about a cuppa tea," Harry smiled warmly at Severus, trying to breach the uncomfortable barrier between the two of them.

"Yes. If you're pathetically patriotic," Snape sneered. Harry laughed whole heartedly, teenager Severus might not be as emotionally concealed as adult Severus but he is exactly the same in every other way.

"You know tea isn't even British, it's Chinese."

"Sounds about right. There are several ancient Chinese potions that use rare types of tea leaves for their magical medicinal purposes."

"That's right, I remember Professor Slughorn praising your potion abilities."

"Did he," Severus sounded annoyed.

"Made me laugh. He said you were awful at following the instructions given to you, but you had a natural knack of adapting the ingredients' preparation, so it was better than the original instructions."

Severus remained quiet however there was a sort of pride radiating off him, showing only through his eyes and tight smile.

"Now that's more impressive than a little bit of non-verbal wandless magic."

"I would disagree," Snape said straightening up a little in his chair. Harry could see he was getting more comfortable, but was still heavily guarded.

"Maybe you're right, non-verbal wandless magic has saved my life more times than I can count," Harry chuckled.

"But you are a teacher. You should not be in any danger."

Harry laughed even harder at that, and Severus gave a little uneasy confused laugh too.

"I'm a teacher now Sev, but I used to fight dark wizards before I came here."

"You called me Sev," Snape said quickly, the humour gone from the air.

"I apologise. I hadn't realised-"

"No need to apologise. It is just, nobody calls me that anymore. It is usually just Snape," Severus tensely said, he pushed his hair out of his face and looked down quickly. Harry had the strangest inclination that he was embarrassed.

"Why not? It's a good name. Sev. Sev-eh-rus. Rolls off the tongue nicely," Harry said playfully trying to coast the teenager out of his shell. “Much better than Harry.”

“Harry’s nice, it suits you. Severus is a horrible name."

Harry laughed at that, and at the mortified face Severus was pulling. Hearing the young man say his name made his stomach tingle a little.

"Severus is striking. There's nothing else like it.”

Snape slowly looked up to greet Harry with a tentative bashful smile.

"I named my youngest son Severus." Harry didn't know why he mentioned that, but it felt natural to share part of his old life with someone finally.

Severus' smile faulted a little. He then looked away quickly. "You have children?"

"Yeah. All were named after great people." Harry gave a sad smile.

"I always thought I was the only Severus. Truly shows what a small world we live in."

"Yeah, a small world," Harry said sadly.

"Do you miss them?" Severus sympathised.

"Of course. I just wish I had been a better Dad. Wish I'd spent less time at work, and more time with the people who mattered when it mattered. Because before you know it they're gone..."

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that enclosed them both.

"When my Mother died, I felt the same. All I had left was my Father. I soon found that was worse than being alone," Severus shivered.

They remained in silent thought until their teas had gone cold, and the classroom was lit only by moonlight. Harry thinking about all he had left behind, and Severus thinking about his mother. It was the kind of comfortable mournful silence where neither had to speak to appreciate each other's company. 

"I think it's time you got off to bed mister Snape." Harry said after the realisation that it was almost past curfew, and he had spent the last half an hour staring in silence at the boy.

Severus picked up his bag and slowly walked towards the exit, stopping by the door, giving a tentative smile. "Sev. You can call me Sev."

"Goodnight, Sev." He watched as the boy left. Harry strangely felt drawn to him after tonight's events, felt connected on a more personal intimate level that can only be achieved through the shared pain of losing loved ones.

He collected Sev's tea cup up his hand, it looked like he had hardly taken 3 sips. Harry banished the cold orange liquid with a wave of his wand. He found himself oddly fascinated at the lip imprint on the side of the porcelain cup. His fingers ghosting along the rim, caressing the mark, before he came to his senses and sent it down to the kitchens to be cleaned along with his.

 

\--

 

The second night of detention followed similarly as the first.

Severus had no work to do, neither had Harry. However there was a difference air of tension between them this time. Yesterday at the beginning of the detention, it was mainly hostility and anger, today Harry felt it was more respect and understanding.

Harry offered Severus a tea immediately, and left it on his desk at the front. Only this time Severus got out of his seat to collect it before sitting back in his usual seat in the shadows of the classroom. Harry had decided he was sick of his head being wrapped in a bandage, and decided to take it off finally. Underneath lay a horrible scab like growth matted in the front of his scalp. Harry was used to my hair being awful, he spent his entire life trying to flatten it down to his scalp. But this was something else.

“What happened to your head, sir?”

“Oh right, the bandage. It was my own fault. I wasn’t thinking. Kind of just happened. How does it look?” Harry said, skilfully avoiding answering the question.

“Truthfully?” Severus questioned doubtfully.

“Truthfully.”

“It looks atrocious, sir.” Severus said nervously. Harry laughed out loud at that. He summoned a small mirror, and closely examined his hair.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Harry said still laughing, Sev joined him relaxing. “What should I do?”

“You could use a spell?”

Harry used a quick deep cleaning charm, and an additional detangling charm on his head, to no such luck.

“I think it’s started to dreadlock in the front.” Harry said as he painfully ran his hand over the now rock solid crusty hair on his forehead.

“You could shave it?” Suggested Severus. He had gotten out of his seat at the back of the class and travelled towards Harry’s desk to get a closer inspection of the hair. 20 minutes later and Harry’s head was shaven.

“It does not look that bad.” Severus giggled, trying to supress his laughter.

“I look like an egg.” Harry joked, as he examined himself in the mirror. Harry noticed that with his new glasses, and new improved haircut he hardly recognised himself.

“It looks nice. It gives your face a new light.” Severus said gently.

“If you say so.” Harry noticed the way Severus’s eyes moved over him, it made him feel alive in a way. Severus returned to his desk, as the evening progressed.

 

\--

 

They spoke more about hair, then potions, the origin of the name Harry, and mostly about Sev's mother. Harry was very careful not to ask invasive questions, only asking about further details which Severus willingly offered. The two had reached a level of understanding with each other.

"She would sing to be when I was younger." Severus sadly remembered.

"What would she sing?"

"Folk songs. Ancient songs thousands of years old. She told me the founders of Hogwarts sang as they built the castle, that the lyrics of hundreds of songs are ingrained into the bricks and the magic of the castle. There are secret passages that only open if you sing to them. I do not know how much of that is true."

"Did she speak of Hogwarts a lot?" Harry smiled.

"All the time. She said Hogwarts was her favourite place on earth. That it was the only place she ever found home." Harry couldn't help himself but agree with Eileen Prince. Hogwarts had been the best years of his life, even with the constant yearly threat of someone trying to kill him, Harry still managed to have a fantastic time at school. "Ironic how I could not agree with her in the slightest."

"How come?" Harry asked gently.

"Potter."

"Potter." Harry said in agreement. He had had the 7th year class first thing this morning. He had ended up giving the three of them lunch time detentions for their behaviour. Harry was planning to go to Professor McGonagall in the morning to complain about their antics. James was Head boy for Christ’s sake!

"James Potter is their leader it seems."

Severus gave a nod of approval. "It was worse, believe it or not but Potter has grown up a bit. Not much, but when he is around Black..." he shook his head in despair.

"So Sirius is to blame?" Harry ventured, as he took a sip of his now cold tea.

"They are all to blame!" Sev said angrily. "They egg each other on!"

"I agree."

"You do?" Snape asked in confusion. "They hate me because I am Slytherin. They think I am some pure blood wizard supremacist. Which is highly ironic coming from a Black and a Potter. I am not even pure blooded."

"Your father?"

"Yes." Severus looked down fallen. Harry had noticed that Severus had deliberately steered away from even mentioning his father. Always quickly changing the subject or asking Harry a question instead.

"I recently learnt what my Father was really like," Harry said. "I wish I didn't know that side of him. It was nice living in blissful ignorance."

"Blissful ignorance sounds nice, but we cannot all be that lucky," Severus solemnly replied.

"I didn't know my father at all growing up, so I made him into everything I needed a parent to be in my head. The reality is very different. I grew up with my Aunt and Uncle, after my parents died."

"How did they die?" He asked.

"I was told it was a car crash growing up by my muggle relatives, but it was a Dark Wizard."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"Don't be, there's nothing that can be done," Harry said sadly. Harry knew there was in fact something he could do, but in doing so he would ruin the fabric of time, and would never have the future where he marries Ginny and has three beautiful children. Harry had the choice between saving his parents lives or, seeing his family again. And Harry knew he could never give up his family.

"What about your Mum, Sev?"

"Car crash." He said quickly, too quickly. Harry could tell that Severus was lying by the look on his face, he wasn't the master occlumens just yet. "That is what I tell people."

"...and what really happened?"

Harry could tell Severus was struggling. A part of him wanted to answer truthfully, another part silenced him. Harry gave the teenager a reassuring smile.

"My dad. He did not like much. Not magic, not me, not her." The boy was blank faced and eerily emotionless. 

Harry had noticed in class Severus' arms were covered in ugly bruises, ranging a spectrum of deep purples to rotten yellows. At first when Harry saw them in lesson, he thought the Marauders had inflicted them on the young Slytherin. But now he understood.

"The bruises on your arms?" Harry asked concerned.

"What about them?" Severus snapped angrily, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Harry could see he subconsciously pulled the sleeves of his school down further his arms.

"Can I see them? Please?" Harry said seriously.

Severus remained quiet in his seat. Stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the question his professor asked. Harry pushed his cold tea aside and walked towards Severus' desk. Stopping shortly in front of him. Severus' eyes slowly lifted assessing the man standing before him, Harry thought if the situation was different Severus' gaze was almost predatory.

Severus locked eyes with Harry's and slowly pulled his left arm from under the table. His right hand deliberately revealed inch by inch of his left forearm. Harry was surprised to see a bare arm, he half expected there to be a dark mark hidden underneath the black material. He should have seen a forearm dotted with various bruises. Bruises which Harry had seen with his own eyes only hours before in class.

Harry pursed his lips, took out his wand and muttered a spell.

"Aparecium."

To Severus' horror the concealment charm Severus had placed on his forearm faded away revealing a plethora of nasty looking marks. Snape tried to snatch his arm away, but the older wizard was faster and stronger. Harry looked into Severus' eyes, asking a silent question of permission. Severus swallowed deeply, leaving his arm still on the table.

Harry held Severus' thin pale wrist in one hand securing it in place, whilst his other hand ventured across the skin. Harry's fingers lightly danced up and down the teenagers arm, causing little goosebumps to appear. Harry stopped to gently apply pressure to one of the more recent additions to the collection.

Severus gasped in pain, looking up suddenly from Harry's hands to stare into the man’s eyes. They remained like that for a moment, both breathing deeply, caught in the enticement of each other. Severus' gaze seeped down to Harry's lips, and the older man only then realised how close the two of them were. Meer inches apart. Harry was sure he could feel Severus' warm breath on his face, on his lips, edging closer.

Panic set in and Harry abruptly distanced himself from the younger man. Severus looked as shook as Harry felt, he noted that both men were almost deeply panting in time with each other. Harry's heart raced, with what?

Fear?

Guilt?

Excitement?

"Sev... You... better get to, to, bed."

"Yes sir." Severus said automatically, Harry thought he looked rather light headed himself. He watched him as he picked up his old tattered rucksack and headed for the door to leave the classroom.


End file.
